“It’s the greatest wah that’s ever been f**king made”: Kirk Hammett reveals his favourite wah pedal ever
Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not one of his signature pedals.
Image: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Metallica Through The Never
Few guitarists embody the spirit of the wah pedal quite like Kirk Hammett. His wah-soaked antics can be heard across Metallica‘s music catalogue, and even more frequently if you go and see the thrash titans live.
Speaking to Rick Beato, Hammett shares that his signature Cry Baby pedals aren’t actually his go-to. Rather, he’s a big fan of the DB01B Dimebag Cry Baby From Hell Wah.
Hammett has around 200 wah pedals in all, but when Beato presses him for a favourite, he says, “There is one and I only have one of them and I break it out every single time I go into the studio and it’s the Dimebag wah”.
Hammett, like the rest of Metallica, was a friend of the late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell.
“I love Dimebag,” he says. “I loved him as a guy, I loved him as a person. I loved him as a player. To do this day, I have a lot of emotions towards him and his brother.
“But he made a wah that has this pickup selector and you can toggle through all these things. It’s the greatest idea and on top of that, there’s a boost. When I was looking at this wah, I thought that ‘this is the wah I should have made.
“When Dunlop said, ‘Let’s put out your version of the wah, I really wanted to just copy it, but I didn’t – just out of respect for Dimebag. But that’s the wah for me. It’s the Dimebag wah. It’s the greatest wah that’s ever been fucking made.”
Also in the interview, Hammett acknowledges criticism from some other guitarists for what they consider as an over-dependence on the wah, but says he won’t be changing.
“I can’t get away from it. I love the wah,” he admits. “It shapes the notes, like my voice… It’s an easy thing for people to tease me for, but whatever: I fucking love it, I get great results and I think it sounds great.”